Cigarette and method for makign same



:20 being hygroscopic,

Patented July 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Robert John, New York, N. Y.

N Drawing. Application August 10, 1931,

' Serial No. 556,311

7 Claims. .(Cl. 131-52) The object of my invention is to decrease the irritant fumes usually found in cigarette smoke; to enhance the flavor of the tobacco through purely physical means without changing the I constituents of the cigarette, to trap the fine particles of dust and tobacco which, when inhaled, become an annoying irritant, and to fur ther trap tars and resins found in cigarette smoke which also act as irritants when inhaled,

10 and to avoid unpleasant after-taste.

As conventionally manufactured, the tobacco used in cigarettes has admixed therewith substances such as glycerine, flavoring materials, honey, molasses, and other forms of sugars; or

in some cases sugars are formed directly in the tobacco during its process of curing.

The addition of such materials to the tobacco before it is used to make cigarettes has' supposedly been advisable for two reasons; (1)

such materials prevent the lossof moisture in the tobacco and pick up andstore moisture when subjected to damp air; and (2) it has been believed that glycerine, honey and compounds of sugar when present unchanged in the smoke, add to the smoothness of the smoke and in some measure oifset irritants which have been formed due to the burning of the tobacco.

It is known, however, that cigarettes are subject to three'distinct processes during the consumption thereof, these being: (1) combustion, (2) destructivedistillation, and (3) steam distillation.

It is also known that when glycerine and sugars are burned or subjected to destructive distillation, as in the combustion stage of the cigarette fire-front, irritant aldehydes, such as acrclein, furfural, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are formed. Also that glycerine and syrups 40 are capable of passing over unchanged when subjected to steam distillation such as occurs immediately back of the fire-front.

I have analyzed the constituents of cigarette smoke created under varying conditions and .45 have observed the following facts: Ifgthe cigof combustion and destructive distillation, while in the main stream smoke, such as is produced by puffing a cigarette, the aldehydes formed are minimized through the agency of steam distillation. However, my observations indicate that even in main stream smoke as above described, in spite of the lessening of their quantity through steam distillation, there are still present definitely measurable quantities of irritating elements in the smoke which are highly objectionable.

In the present art of cigarette manufacture, it is customary to admix glycerine, syrups, flavoring matters, and the like with moisture contained in the tobacco before the cigarettes 7 are formed; thus the cigarettes are made of tobacco containing a practically uniform and homogeneous mixture of the added substances, which are capable of burning and being destructively distilled to form the objectionable irri- 7 tants aforesaid.

My invention aims to reduce, if not substantially prevent, the formation of such irritants.

In carrying out my invention, I omit glycerine, syrups, flavoring materials, and sugars from the 30 tobacco during itsprocess of manufacture completely. After the cigarette has been formed, I take a solution of the omitted constituents in such proportions and in such concentration that a measured'quantity of the mixture may be apg5 pliedto either or both ends of the finished cigarette, whereupon it will adhere to and be absorbed by the tobacco which it touches, without penetrating the cigarette more than, say, onesixteenth of an inch.

The cigarette thus formed, if torn apart and analyzed, shows exactly the same percentages of each constituent as would the same kind of cigarette made by the practice of the existing art, the difference being that in, the case of my improved cigarette, the body of the tobacco contains no added substances which are capable of burning into irritating aldehydes, these substances now being confined to a space of, say, onesixteenth of an inch from either end.

The material so applied to the end which'goes in the smokers mouth obviously isv never burned but, through its hygroscopic nature, serves as a trap to absorb any dustor fine tobacco particles which the cigarette may contain, as well as to 105 absorb and hold certain of the tars which are formed.

As to the layer of material which has been applied to the end of the cigarette which is lighted, one might suppose that this would give 119 5 smoothness to the smoker.

rise to temporary discharge of irritant vapors. In practice, however, I find that this is not the case, due to the unusual amount of moisture present as a result of the hygroscopic nature of the material, which moisture sufficiently increases the factor of steam distillation to prevent the formation of aldehydesand irritants in the inhaled ,smoke, whichwould otherwise be present.

Naturally many hygroscopic materials may be utilized in carrying out my invention to practice. As a typical example, I recommend, assuming a cigarette to weigh 1 gram, that the solution applied to the ends thereof contain 1.5% glycerine, .5% honey, .5% maple'sugar,

3% cane sugar, and .5% cocoa. A paste of the foregoing is made and milligrams are applied 7 to each end of the cigarette.

I may apply this solution to one or both ends,

but I prefer to apply it to both ends, inasmuch as it thereby more effectively seals the cigarette and protects the same.

' By practicing the foregoing procedure, I find that thepleasing qualities of the tobacco are 1 accentuated and emphasized through the absence' of added irritants in the smoke, while the'added flavors are made more delightful as a result of the smoke passing through the layer imprisoned at the mouth end of the cigarette.

. The-moisture content of the tobacco is not interfered with and steam distillation proceeds as eifectively as in the untreated cigarette and the unchanged vapors of the added constituents carried by'th'e smoke give a new sensation of Moreover, the actual taste of the added-ingredients is somewhat enhanced, since they are concentrated at a point which is touched by the smokers tongue. The ccmbustibility of the cigarette has not been disturbed.

I recognize, of course, that varying solutions may be used. I also recognize that'if desired, only one ingredient, such as glycerine, may be omitted, leaving the other ingredients admixed with the tobacco during its'm'anufacture, and

thatthe glycerine, which has been omitted, may,

after the formation of the cigarette, be applied by the formation of undesirable irritants and fumes incident to the combustion of such'inaterials is eliminated.

2. A cigarette of the class described having the tobacco of the body portion thereof substantially free from added flavoring materialssuch as glycerine, sugars, honey or the like, and having the tobacco immediately adjacent at least one tobacco of the body portion thereof substantially free from added flavoring materials such "as glycerine, sugars, honey or the like, and having the tobacco immediately adjacent at least one end thereof impregnated with glycerine in an amount substantially equivalent to the total amount normally distributed throughout the cigarette. i

'5. A cigarette of the class described having the tobacco of the body portion thereof sub stantially devoid from added flavoring and hygroscopic material, such as glycerine, sugar, honey, or the like, which, when present, upon combustion thereof, would produce throat irritants, said cigarette having the tobacco of the opposed tips only impregnated with a hygroscopic flavoring material whereby to seal the intermediate body portion of the cigarette and to prevent loss of moisture from the tobacco whereby the cigarette is maintained in substan- I.

tially its same state of moisture as though the hygroscopic material were distributed throughout the entire cigarette.

6. A cigarette of the class described having the tobacco of the body portion thereof substantially free from added'hygroscopicflavoring materials, such as -glycerine, honey, maple sugar,- cane sugar, or cocoa, which'fwhen present, have'the effect "of producing upon combustion of the cigarette, throat irritants, and having the tobacco immediately adjacent the opposed tip ends thereof impregnated to substantially one-sixteenth of an inch, with such hygroscopic flavoring material in an amount sufficient to maintain the tobacco intermediate the opposed tip portions in a substantially moist condition; "I. A cigarette of the class described having the tobacco of the body portion thereof substantially free from added hygroscopic flavoring materials, such as glycerinefhoney, maple sugar, cane sugar, or cocoa, which, when present, have the effect of producihgupon combustion of the cigarette, throat irritants, and having the tobacco immediately adjacent the opyti'ally equivalent to the total amount normally distributed throughout the cigarette. 1 45A cigarette of the class described having the posed tipends thereof impregnated to substantially one-sixteenth of an inch, with such hygroscopic flavoring material'in an amount substantially equivalent to the total amount of such materials normally distributed throughout th'e cigarette.

" ROBERT JOHN. 

